Tattooed Heart
by dumbrunette
Summary: He couldn't see the sun anymore, or the rain. He could only hear it, pounding on windows. He could only hear the rustle of fallen autumn leaves, and the sound of sprinklers in the summer. He could only feel the spine's of his favorite books, and the page's that felt empty to him. But he could see her, clear as his old days, and he could see her tattoos, which she described to him.
1. Chapter 1

**_Tattooed Heart_**

**_2,206 Days Before_**

She caught him looking at her from across the lunchroom.

She sat alone, surrounded by books and papers, with a pencil in her hand and a sketch book in front of her. She was trying to concentrate, but she couldn't focus when she could feel his stare burning on her flesh.

His friend's were laughing loudly behind him, trying to catch the attention of their leader, but he was intently staring at the little blonde girl; who he didn't know even existed until three days ago when she dropped her sketch book in front of him and he got a glimpse of amazingly detailed art. He remembered her scurrying to collect the book, and when she came up, red faced, he just stood there. Like an absolute idiot. And before he could introduce himself like a gentlemen his mother taught him to be or at least compliment her on her art, she ran away down the hall, towards the crowd, where she was lost from his eye sight.

He never got an opportunity to talk to her that year.

**_1,825 Days Before_**

He felt a surge of jealousy when she walked into school the first day.

The boy's arm was slung over her shoulder, and both of their heads were thrown back in laughter. Her face was red with amusement, but his was red with anger.

Obviously, the boy had beaten him to her.

**_1,816 Days Before_**

His only thought while he stood before her was, _I don't stutter._

But that is exactly what he was doing.

He had finally caught her only in the hall today. She was usually either flanked by a mocha skinned girl, or the tan boy she was with the first day.

She looked nervous in his presence, always looking around. Almost as if she was looking for a way to escape or for someone to grab her arm and save her. He hoped that wouldn't happen.

He always felt on his toes around her, and was always telling himself to digest the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach, because he was a man, and men didn't get butterflies, right? He didn't even know this girl but he knew something about her was steering him towards her every day.

So he took a deep, _deep_, breath and a mustered up the courage to ask a strange girl one simple question: "Will you go on a date with me?"

**_1,815 Days Before_**

Christina helped her get into a blue dress that was the color of the summer's sky, and because it was dark and raining Christina told her that she was the brightest thing she had seen in days. She was giddy with nervousness, and couldn't stop bouncing on her toes, or chewing on her lip; Christina was trying to get her to break the habit, because it was tarnishing her lips.

When the doorbell rang, she couldn't help but squeak with fear and hide in her closet. Christina was forced to grab her arm and haul her out of her room. She gave her an encouraging push towards the steps, which she went down.

She found him conversing with her parents. Her father looked skeptical, and eyed his leather jacket, while her mother talked aimlessly to him. As she entered the room his eye's fell on her instantly as her mother's talking become background music to him, he only focused on her.

She apologized multiple times as they entered his car, which he replied with "it's fine", and "Don't apologize". The car was silent except for the quiet music coming from the radio, which she nodded her head to, but to him, she was the loudest thing in the car. He thought she looked wonderful.

He took her to a coffee shop, because it was raining, and guided her to a table by the window, to watch the rain, which she adored. They both ordered coffee, and talked about anything that came to mind. She thought it was cozy, and she showed him how to doodle on the napkins lying on their table. She couldn't but laugh when he tried to draw a simple rose. He let her continue and watched as she stuck the tip of her tongue out in concentration, and she could feel him watching her but she didn't mind this time. They sipped the coffee and discussed the weather, which is the only thing they could think of because they already talked about their favorite colors, and constellations. They asked thousand of questions back and forth to keep occupied. She was never bored.

After a while he decided to drive her home, where he walked her to the door in the heavy downfall, and even though she knew he mother was watching from the living room window she still kissed him on the cheek, and she smiled slightly when he blushed furiously.

And with one last question she asked, "Do you think I'm beautiful?"

To which he replied with one, truthful word, _"Yes."_

**_1,812 Days Before_**

He joined her at lunch, with her friends.

Christina was welcoming, and filled the silence with talking when it got quiet, and Uriah told ridiculous jokes. She taught him how to draw a rose today, on real paper. He tried multiple times before the bell rang, and she had to collect her books. He decided to admit to her that drawing was not a talent of his, to which she agreed honestly. They had both laughed, but he was still determined to learn how to draw that one rose, because it was her favorite flower.

He carried her books, and walked her to class; even though his class was nowhere near hers. But he didn't mind, even though she claimed she didn't want to make him late.

He was happy to do it, and told her to stop arguing because he was going to walk her. She agreed and when they arrived at the class's door, she kissed his cheek, took her books, and walked into the class after flashing him a smile over her shoulder.

**A/N: Yes I know I should not be starting a new story, but this is not gonna be a long one. This will be no more than 5 chapters, it's probably going to be 2-3.**

**I got this idea and I thought it was cute, so here it is.**

**Sorry for any mistakes, Didn't have time to check..**

**~M**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: nobODY DIES IN THIS StoRY! I SWeaR!**  
**Happy reading**  
**_Tattooed Heart_**  
**_1,486 Days Before_**  
In the beginning of summer he brought her down to Florida.  
During the drive, she hung over the side of his Impala Covertible, running her hands along the glossy, red paint. She sang aloud to the classic rock his dad had stored in the glove box, because this was the car he stole from his dad. She told him about how her dad used to burn her CDs of his favorite rock songs, and how she still knows the lyrics.  
Her blond hair was knotted, and wind-blown, and her cheeks were bright red from the chill, but she didn't care, and he didn't think he'd ever seen her more beautiful. More free.  
She named the clouds in the sky, and taught him about the other kinds, and he latched on to every word, because her voice was soft and interesting even if the topic was boring.  
When they arrived at a house his mother bought long before the divorce, and they could hear every crash the waves outback made. The sun was setting, so they abandoned the idea of unpacking and he chased her up and down the beach while the sun went lower and lower with every handful of tossed sand.  
They collasped on the bare mattress after running inside after the sky got dark, and their bodies were covered with sand. They had no blankets, but he promised to keep her warm, and he fell asleep to sound of soft breaths and the scent of salt water.  
**_1,482 Days Before_**  
He was awoken with a kiss and a cup of coffee each morning, because she always had a habit to get up at seven in the morning.  
They spent each day on the beach, eating their meals on the patio outback, and the rest of the time by the water. They told eachother stories, and he would always drag her out to the water by throwing her over his shoulder. She squealed in protest everytime, but loved the thrill of the freezing water on her skin and the tingle that always went through her when she was in his arms.  
They once tried to play with a Frisbee, but the wind once picked up a throw and sent in straight through the living room's window, which stopped the game right away, and left them laughing, and leaving it broken.  
**_1,480 Days Before_**  
On the last night he tried to cook her dinner, which ended up a box of delieverd pizza from town. They ate it on the beach, with sand between their toes.  
He asked her to dance, without music, to which she happily took his outstretched hand and he pulled her up to standing position. They swayed to the sound of the waves, and the beating of their hearts.  
He told her in a beautiful, silent moment that he loved her.  
And as her eyes were wide, she pulled his face down to hers with her hands cupping his face, and kissed him hard,  
whispering over and over against his lips: _"I love you, I love you, I love you."_  
They fell into the sand, and their clothes were flung onto the ground around them, and they fit together like puzzle pieces.  
And when they rose from the ground, covered deeply in sand, they ran inside with huge grins on their faces, and their hands intertwined, just to do it all over again.  
**_989 Days Before_**  
She stood infront of the mirror, with a smiling Christina off to the side.  
She wore a long dress of shimmering, dark red, and her hair was professionaly-done-looking, with her hair in a updo of her natural blond curls.  
She'd never been to prom, she skipped out last year when he got sick with the flu, and she volunterred to take care of him when he insisted for her to go.  
But you know about how she doesn't listen to people very well.  
So when Christina wiggled into her yellow dress, they made their way down the glossy, wooden stair case in Christina's house, where their dates awaited with wide eyes. Christina giggled, and she blushed red and looked down at her feet so she wouldn't trip.  
When she got to him, she fell into his soft, strong arms, and he forced her chin up to look into his blue eyes.  
He mouthed the word: _"Beautiful."_ and gave her soft, long kiss on the lips before they got interrupted by someone clearing their throat.  
After taking silly photos, they hopped into their cars and drove off towards their high school. She changed her heels into sneakers in the passenger seat of his car, and made sure her dress covered the tops of them when she got out of the car.  
He conversed with some of his friends but never too long to seem like the douche who took a date to prom and ignored them. So when he said goodbye to his friends with a man handshake, he led her to the far, dark corner of the gym, and held her in his arms, spinning her around and smiling when he saw her sneakers peaking out from underneath her rising dress when she spun.  
_"Music this time."_ He whispered to her and held her close as a slow song began to play from the speakers. She looked up at him through the dark, and kissed him slowly.  
She kissed him slowly when the song stopped, and the microphone screeched and someone announced the Prom's king and queen. She kissed him slowly when she toke too much vodka in her punch.  
She drew a heart on his palm with a sharpie, and marked her first inital inside the heart, and kissed him on the check while he gave her a loving smile. She gulped the rest of her vodka punch when he said that he would take her home before she got totally wasted.  
When he pulled up to her house just after midnight, she dragged him quietly inside the house, past her sleeping parent's bedroom, and into hers. She coaxed him to lay with her for awhile, and he fell asleep holding her.  
_**887 Days Before**_  
On his 18th birthday he rushed to her house for a surpirse.  
She opened door, and even though she wasn't expecting him, pulled him right in with a happy kiss.  
After greeting her parents, he pulled her to her bedroom and showed the marking on his palm.  
An outline of a heart with an initial inside stood out on his hand with raised black lines, and an angry red surronded it.  
After running a finger gently over the tattoo, and replacing the bandage, she badgered him about how this was permenant and how it must have hurt like a bitch.  
He replied with: "Even if we move on away from eachother, you will still be apart of my heart, and my first and only love."  
She thought it was endearing, and crawled into his arms and kissed his sore hand. She continued to say the same thing over and over again,  
_"I love you, I love you, I love you."_  
and he would never get sick of it.  
_**841 Days Before**_  
On_ her_ 18th birthday she rushed to the hospital.  
She found him lying in a bed with eyes closed and bruises all over him. She whispered the same thing, "Jesus Christ, don't you dare die on me!"  
She sat next to him on the bed, and took his cold, limp hand hoping for some sign of life in him, except for the flutter of his eyelashes, and his heart monitor beeped a steady rhythm.  
She cried with tears streaming down her face and falling onto the sheets, and clutched his hand desperately while running a finger over the outline of a heart and letter.  
_"I love you, I love you, I love you."_  
**_A/N haha...ha..h...a_**  
**_Until next time ;)_**  
**_~M_**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Last chapter!**  
**Love you guys more than life!**

_**Tatttoed Heart**_

_**12 Days After**_

He woke to darkness.

It reminded him too much of his childhood punishments, where he was locked in a closet for hours with no dinner and fresh cuts and brusies on his back.

Walls came down on to him, he could have sworn he opened his eyes.

He did, he could feel his eyelashes flutter against his cheekbone when he blinked.

_Why was it so black then?_

Beeping sounds so loud the pierced his ears like thousands of needles when he got up from a stiff bed a clenched his hands in the air for a light switch.

_The lights were just out._

He let out little noises of surprise when hands tugged him backwards, saying: _"Mr. Eaton, you must get back into your bed."_

He was shouting now, _someone turn the lights on._

He couldn't see, everything was a black, nothing. A sky without stars.

_But his eyes were still open._

_**207 Days After**_

The sun could be out today.

The sun could be out today, like a sunny side up egg. Yellow yolk spilling out everywhere.

The sun could be shining on sun bathers on the beaches in California, and helping to grow flowers in a garden. Birds with blue feathers could be soaring through the sky under the sun.

He could never see it.

he couldn't see the sun anymore, or rain. He could only hear it, pounding on windows. He could only hear the rustle of fallen autumn leaves, and the sound of sprinklers in the summer. He could only feel the spine's of his favorite books, and the page's that felt empty to him.

But he could see.

Clear as his old days.

He could see her tattoos, too.

She described them to him, let him run his fingers down the raised skin of the tattoo while she would tell him the meaning of the new tattoo.

_**364 Days After**_

She had sunflowers on the back of her shoulder, they used to grow in her mother's garden. He could trace the long stems of them with his finger.

Her nickname used to be 'fireball', which represented the flames licking up her side. She had to pull her shirt up to her chest, and he liked to run his fingers all the way up her sides just to make her shiver, just before she would yank her shirt down and playfully swat his hand away.

The day she placed her ankle in his lap was the day she got a tattoo of her old black rabbit, Velvet. She told him about how Velvet used to nip at Caleb's fingers and run around the house.

The skyscrapers on her forearm were Chicago, where her old home was. And the cherry blossom on her back was in her old house's front garden.

She got ravens on her collarbone because she liked how birds could fly away when things got too crazy. She told him about how sometimes she felt like a bird for flying out to California with him for College. She said the birds were kind of like her family members.

When he ran him hand across her wrist one day and felt only a zig zag line, he was confused. "_A line from a heart rate monitor." _Is what she told him. She then broke into a story of how she almost commited suicide, but failed. They were silent for a long period while he kissed the line.

She was so excited when she got home from the tattoo shop one day, she broke a vase on the foyer table while setting her bag down. She dragged him to the couch and put his hand on her tricep. The outline of a setting sun laid there. Oranges, yellows, and pinks covered it.

Sunsets used to be his favorite thing, because she always loved painting it. The setting sun used to make her icy blue eyes look weaved with golden strands, and her hair shone bright. He thought she looked perfect that way. On the beach with sand inbetween her toes, and her hand in his with a wild, admirable look in her eyes.

That was the best memory of her.

_He could see her._

_**Epilogue**_

She was silent as she walked through the door and through the foyer.

He could hear the click of her combat boots on the wood, and her bag hitting the ground.

She usually bounced into the room with energy, always happy to describe her day to him and all the tattoos she did today, and he would listen and silently ask for her to keep talking.

Her voice was intoxicating.

Today she was silent.

Today she picked the braille book up from his hands and set it on the coffee table and took a seat next to him on the leather couch.

He was surprised to feel her lean in and kiss him softly, with no hunger. Just passion and love.

He heard her take a deep breath and grab his hand and drag in to her left wrist where a series of little raised dots were.

He was confused, at first.

But as he traced his fingers along it he could make out letters of braille lining her wrist.

_Will You Marry Me?_

He told her his answer the second he found out what the tattoo meant, but that didn't stop him.

He had his best friend take him up to a tattoo shop; not hers of course.

She didn't know braille too well, he knew she was trying to learn it, and support him.

When she came home and he pulled her onto the couch and could feel her smile of amusment as she placed her hands on his left wrist where she was guided.

Dots lay there like her own wrist, and she figured out the braille on her own.

It read one simple, meaningful word: _Yes_

**A/N: The end!**

**Thanks for all the reviews, all sweet.**

**You guys are amazing and I love you all.**

**~M**


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